MONMOUTH COUNTY — Police and wildlife officials are searching wooded areas and neighborhoods along the Manalapan and Marlboro after two people reportedly spotted a cougar prowling along a roadway early this morning, authorities said.

Shortly before 7:30 a.m., a man was driving on Robertsville Road in Manalapan when he saw what he described as a mountain lion following a deer across the roadway, according to Manlapan Police Captain Chris Marsala. Officers from both the Manalapan and Marlboro responded to the location, but did not find the animal.

A short time later Anthony Lena, a Marlboro Animal Control Officer, claimed he saw a "large cat with a long tail" walking along a creek bed near Robertsville Road, Marsala said. Manalapan officers returned to the scene along with officials from the state Division of Fish and Game and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but the second search also turned up no sign of the animal.

A helicopter was dispatched to aid in the search sometime today, said Marsala.

Officers did find "feline tracks" in a muddy creek bed bear Robertsville Road, according to Marsala, and a wildlife biologist was analyzing photos of the tracks today.

Wildife experts believe that except for a small collection of the large cats in Florida, cougars — also known as mountain lions, pumas or panthers — are extinct on the East Coast, and that most reported sightings are simply a case of mistaken identity.

But in 2007, state authorities said they received at least 70 calls from residents claiming they spotted one of the sharp-toothed felines.

Staff Writer Mark Mueller contributed to this report.

Google MapsAuthorities are searching the wooded areas around Manalapan and Malboro in Monmouth County for a cougar, after motorist reported seeing one.Related coverage: